Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP
Jorge Santos was seen in the House chamber shortly before his State of the Union address at the US Capitol on March 7.
CNN
—
Former GOP Rep. George Santos He was expelled from the congregation Last year and facing federal charges, he announced Thursday night that he is running for Congress again — this time challenging a Republican congressman in New York.
“Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the political arena and challenging Nick to a fight. #NY1,” Santos wrote on X, referring to GOP Rep. Nick LaLotta. “I look forward to debating him on the issues and his weak record as a Republican. Fighting for our majority is vital to the country's survival.
The former congressman, who represents New York's 3rd district, made his announcement during the President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address Thursday — during which he was spotted at the U.S. Capitol.
Santos enters the Battlegrounds tournament in New York Among many species In a state where the House majority is likely to be decided — he will put aside his own baggage to challenge an incumbent in a June primary and face stiff odds in his comeback bid.
Lalotta quickly returned to Santos' new bid on Thursday night. “I led the ouster of Jorge Santos to raise standards in Congress and hold accountable a pathological liar who stole the election. If it takes defeating him in the primary to get the job done, count me in,” LaLotta said.
LaLotta introduced a resolution to expel his fellow New York Republican last fall. to say That he deserved to “be in prison.”
In announcing his new campaign, Santos called his former colleague a RINO, or Republican, only. “There have been no real conservatives in New York since I arbitrarily left office, RINO, like plainclothes. @nicklalota” Wrote in X.
A crowded field of Democrats has assembled to try to flip New York's 1st District, which is rated as lean Republican. Nathan L. Elections with Gonzales.
John Avlon, a former CNN commentator, and Nancy Koroff, a Stony Brook University professor emeritus who lost a bid for the House in 2020, are among the leading Democratic contenders.
“Bring it on,” Avlon said in a statement Thursday night responding to Santos' new campaign.
Santos' congressional campaign filed organizational documents with the Central Election Commission on Thursday night, expressing interest in running in the 1st District. The campaign's new filing identified the revenue A treasurer Formerly employed by Santos.
Santos is the sixth legislator to be expelled from the legislature. He has separate Innocent 23 Federal ChargesAllegations of fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, including misappropriation of campaign funds and lying about his personal finances in House disclosure statements.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN's Haley Talbot contributed to this report.
